My sister, sister-in-law, BFF and I are collaborating in throwing me a Harry Potter baby shower in October. We've got lots of great ideas thus far (ex: everyone who brings a package of diapers will be entered into the Goblet of Fire to win a prize!). My first brain block has been, how do we sort guests into their houses?

I thought about using one of those paper fortune tellers (while the guest is wearing a sorting hat of course), but that would make the sorting pretty random.

The only thing I can come up with is a quiz for each guest to fill out. Then the prefects can review the quiz and sort them. Either, "well, you'e chosen mostly C's, so you're a Slytherin!" or "your total score was 15, so you're a Hufflepuff!"

I don't want it to be random, but I also don't want "Which animal do you like the best? Lion, Badger, Eagle or Snake?" They pick "eagle", and ta-da, they're a Ravenclaw. ::yawn::

Well, you'll know the guests beforehand, so you don't have to sort them on the day: you could just fake it. Ask them for , oh, I don't know, the last dream they remember having or anything really, and then the sorting hat can put them in the house you've secretly previously chosen. That way you could have balanced, or hilariously unbalanced, teams for later use.

Well, you'll know the guests beforehand, so you don't have to sort them on the day: you could just fake it. Ask them for , oh, I don't know, the last dream they remember having or anything really, and then the sorting hat can put them in the house you've secretly previously chosen. That way you could have balanced, or hilariously unbalanced, teams for later use.

You know, I though about that too... only problem is, I'm not very good at it! I thought for sure my husband would be a Ravenclaw... he's an awful smart man... but when he was sorted in Pottermore, and I was watching him answer his questions I was amazed to see him answer like a Slytherin! And sure enough, he was sorted into Slytherin! I also desperately don't want my brothers girlfriend to end up in Hufflepuff with me, so I was going to sort her into any other house regardless, lol.

Does it have to be accurate? Perhaps your perceptions would be good enough as it's just for one evening.

Another thought, if you don't mind it being a little bit random: you could have 4 drinks on offer when people arrive, sort them according to their choice of drink, it could even be Potter themed if you labeled your drinks pumpkin juice, butterbeer, firewiskey and (oh no, I can't think of a fourth one at the moment!)

I like that drink idea- although you're right, it still makes it pretty random. Going off that idea- I want to make a wand for every guest too, so what do you think if I labeled the wands, "this wand is for the successful"; "this wand is for the brave"; "this wand is for the brainiacs"; "this wand is for the loyal" and depending on which wand they chose dictates what house they're in.